Applicator with brush



Maw}! 12, 1968 s.- SCHWARTZ MAN 3,372,426

I APPLICATOR WITH BRUSH Filed Feb. 16, 1966 IN VEN TOR. 494 515, 2" Ja/h/AQIIMA United States Patent 3,372,426 APPLICATOR WITH BRUSH Gilbert Schwartzman, 20 Wilmot Circle, Scarsdale, N.Y. 10583 Filed Feb. 16, 1966, Ser. No. 527,974 7 Claims. (Cl. 401-183) This invention relates to an applicator provided with a suitable head which may be in form of a toothbrush or the like for applying suitable paste or fluid material in a convenient manner, and more particularly to a device adapted to be used in conjunction with a squeeze container.

Various types of caps have been provided for toothpaste tubes and the like, some of which have achieved means for applying toothpaste or other like material. However, providing a substantially air-tight seal for preserving the contents of the squeeze container while still allowing for application of the toothpaste and the feeding thereof in a desired rate controllable in a very sensitive manner by the individual using the device has not heretofore been achieved. Further, applicators of this type have been expensive, diflicult to manufacture and incapable of being readily mass produced at a cost which would make wide distribution and utilization feasible.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an applicator for use in conjunction with a squeeze container such as a tube of toothpaste, which will allow for engagement with the toothpaste tube so that the toothpaste tube may serve as a handle and for feeding the paste material to the brush head of the device in a manner which may be easily and sensitively controlled by the user.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of an applicator that is provided with a novel valve assembly which is held securely in place for operation in a normally closed position With compression being placed on a valve spring by the means providing for securement of the applicator to a toothpaste tube or like squeezable container.

The construction of the present invention features an applicator adapted to be utilized with a squeez-able container such as a toothpaste tube provided with a threaded neck. In carrying out the invention, a retaining ring is inserted in the neck and a cap member in the form of an applicator body, having a cylindrical internally threaded portion is secured on the threaded neck holding the retaining ring in place. The retaining ring is provided with an opening therethrough, which serves as a valve seat. A valve assembly, including a valve head and integrally formed spring, is disposed in the applicator body and controls fluid or paste flow through the opening and thence to the applicator head which is preferably provided with bristles.

Still further objects and features of this invention reside in the provision of an applicator that is simple in construction, capable of being manufactured in various sizes and shapes and provided with suitably designed bristles, which is attractive in appearance, light in weight, and which is of such sturdy construction and which is so intimately associated with a toothpaste tube so as to provide and serve as the handle of a toothbrush, or in the alternative the applicator body may be conveniently grasped.

These, together with the various ancillary objects and features of the invention, which will become apparent as the following description proceeds, are attained by this applicator with brush, a preferred embodiment of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, by way of example only, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an exploded sectional view of an applicator constructed in accordance with the concepts of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the applicator shown in an assembled position of a toothpaste tube with the valve assembly in a closed position;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, but shown with the valve in an open position upon application of pressure on a squeeze container;

FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken along the plane of line 4-4 in FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional detailed view, illustrating a modified form of the invention.

With continuing reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate similar parts throughout the various views, reference numeral 10 is used to generally designate the squeeze container in the for-m of a toothpaste tube or the like. The squeeze container 10 includes a hollow body 12 formed of flexible material, such as plastic or metal, and is provided with a neck portion 14 for permitting flow of paste or liquid material from the container 10 outwardly. The neck is externally threaded as at 16 and terminates in a mouth 18. The applicator, generally designated at 20 and adapted to be utilized in conjunction with the squeeze container, includes three main parts.

The applicator includes a retaining ring 22, a valve assembly 24, and an applicator body 26. The retaining ring 22 includes a disc-shaped upper portion 28, provided with an opening 30 therethrough. The opening has an upwardly outwardly tapered portion 32. A projecting portion 34 extends downwardly from the discs 28 forming a shoulder 36 adapted to engage the mouth 13. The project-ing portion 34 is designed to fit snugly within the neck 14 and the disc 28 is of too great a diameter to enter the neck 14 and is of the same outer diameter as the outer diameter of the neck.

The valve assembly 24 includes a valve head 38 of rectangular cross section having a truncated conical portion 39. The valve head 38 is integrally formed with a tapered upwardly diverging helical coil spring 40 which has a ring 42 at the upper end thereof.

The applicator body 26 includes a lower cylindrical portion 44 of relatively larger diameter, which is internally threaded at 46 and has integrally formed therewith a hollow shank 48 of lesser diameter so that a shoulder 50 is formed at the union therebetween. The body 26 is preferably molded out of any suitable synthetic plastic mate rial, such as polystyrene, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, nylon, cellulose, acetate or the like. The upper portion of the shank is preferably conical in shape as at 52, and is integrally connected with a head 54 which has an angulated port-ion 56 extending at an acute angle relative to the axis of the applicator body 26. The applicator head 54 has a bore 58 therethrough communicating with the upper outer surface 60 of the angulated portion 56. Within the shank 48 and adjacent the lowermost part of the conical portion 52 are suitable stops 62. The head 54 and more particularly the angulated portion 56 may have suitable paste or fiu-id tapering means affixed thereto. As illustrated, suitable bristles 64 are embedded or otherwise attached to the head 54 so as to receive paste or other suitable material passing through the bore 58.

The applicator is assembled by inserting the retaining ring 22 in the neck 14. Thereafter, with the valve assembly 24 inserted in the hollow shank 48, the applicator body 26 is threadedly received over the neck portion 14 with the external threads 16 co-acting with the internal threads 46 to clampingly engage the disc 28 between the mouth 18 and the shoulder 50, while serving to provide an initial compression on the spring 40. The ring 42 abuts the stops 62. In this situation, the compressed spring 24 normally urges the valve head 38 and the tapered conical portion 39 thereof into engagement within the opening 30 with the tapering conical portion 39 fitting snugly against the 0 retaining ring. Upon squeezing of the container, as indicated by arrow 70, paste material will press upon the valve head and push the valve sufliciently upwardly to lift the conical portion 39 out of the recess formed by the conical tapered portion 32 of the opening 30. Since the valve head 38 is square in cross section and the opening 30 is circular, fiuid can then pass into the hollow shank 48 and thence through the bore 58 onto the bristles 64. Slight pressure is all that is needed to sutficiently control the flow of material in a very sensitive manner onto the bristles.

As shown in FIG. 5, it is sometimes desirable to provide a pad 80 of suitable material, such as polyurethane foam, and dispose it between the ring 42 and the bore 58. In this form of the invention, more fluid-like or easily flowable material than toothpaste can be used in a convenient manner, making liquid astringents adaptable for use in conjunction with the toothbrush for treating and cleansing the mouth of the user.

A latitude of modification, change and substitution is intended in the foregoing disclosure, and in some instances some features of the invention will be employed without a corresponding use of other features. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the spirit and scope of the invention herein.

I claim:

1. An applicator for a squeezable container having a threaded neck portion comprising a retaining ring having a projection portion receivable in the neck, said retaining ring being of a diameter too large to fit in said neck, said retaining ring having an opening therein forming a valve seat, an applicator body having a cylindrical threaded portion adapted to be threadedly secured on the neck, a hollow shank integral with and communicating with said cylindrical portion, said shank having a head provided with a bore therethrough communicating the outer surface of said head with said cylindrical portion, a body of compressible material disposed between said ring and said bore, and a valve assembly mounted in said body and coa 4 operating with said valve seat to control fiuid flow through said opening.

2. An applicator according to claim 1, wherein said head is provided with bristles thereon forming a toothbrush.

3. An applicator according to claim 1, wherein said valve assembly includes a helical coil spring, and a valve head, integrally formed with said spring.

4. An applicator according to claim 3, wherein said valve head includes at least a portion of a square crosssectional configuration, said opening being of a circular cross-sectional configuration.

5. An applicator according to claim 4, said shank being of less thickness than said cylindrical portion forming a shoulder, said retaining ring abutting said shoulder.

6. An applicator according to claim 5, including stop means in said shank, said valve assembly including means engageable with said stop means holding said spring normally under compression so that said valve assembly normally closes said opening.

7. An appliactor according to claim 6, wherein said head includes a portion extending at an acute angle relative to said shank, said head being provided with bristles thereon forming a toothbrush.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 615,617 12/1898 Haynes 15-543 1,943,893 1/1934 Johnson l5578 X 3,032,802 5/1962 Kusama 15581 X 3,256,551 6/1966 Schwartzman 15-569 FOREIGN PATENTS 870,164 6/1961 Great Britain.

CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner.

EDWARD L. ROBERTS, Examiner, 

1. AN APPLICATOR FOR A SQUEEZABLE CONTAINER HAVING A THREADED NECK PORTION COMPRISING A RETAINING RING HAVING A PROJECTION PORTION RECEIVABLE IN THE NECK, SAID RETAINING RING BEING OF A DIAMETER TOO LARGE TO FIT IN SAID NECK, SAID RETAINING RING HAVING AN OPENING THEREIN FORMING A VALVE SEAT, AN APPLICATOR BODY HAVING A CYLINDRICAL THREADED PORTION ADAPTED TO BE THREADEDLY SECURED ON THE NECK, A HOLLOW SHANK INTEGRAL WITH AND COMMUNICATING WITH SAID CYLINDRICAL PORTION, SAID SHANK HAVING A HEAD PROVIDED WITH A BORE THERETHROUGH COMMUNICATING THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID HEAD WITH SAID CYLINDRICAL PORTION, A BODY OF COMPRESSIBLE MATERIAL DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID RING AND SAID BORE, AND A VALVE ASSEMBLY MOUNTED IN SAID BODY AND COOPERATING WITH SAID VALVE SEAT TO CONTROL FLUID FLOW THROUGH SAID OPENING. 